Correction: Fairbanks has three on-site consumption lounges, Pakalolo, Good Cannabis and Good Titrations (which are separate entities).
Anchorage is set to get its first pot cafe early next year, marking the first place in the city outside your home where it will be legal to use marijuana.
East Anchorage’s Uncle Herb’s — located on Boniface Parkway — is in the process of setting up a cafe that will serve the usual assortment of caffeinated beverages, with the twist that customers can also legally consume THC-infused edibles and beverages. General Manager Aaron Stiassny says they plan to open in early 2026 as a social spot that can host musicians and other events.
“The whole point of on-site is people coming together. People who like to consume cannabis like to smoke and share a joint. It’s about coming together,” he said in an interview with The Alaska Current last week, later adding, “People want to socialize, and so that’s what these spaces are going to permit.”
He said plans to convert an outdoor space at the company’s King Street location into an outdoor on-site consumption spot were scrapped after the Anchorage Assembly voted to indefinitely postpone an ordinance that would have allowed smoking or vaping at shops. Instead, he said the space will serve as a private events space.
In Alaska, it’s technically illegal to consume marijuana anywhere except on private property that isn’t open to the general public. That means streets, parking lots, parks, hotels and the city’s dozens of pot shops are all technically off-limits. It has left tourists and renters in a legally gray area when it comes to partaking in the state’s recreational marijuana industry, frustrating some lawmakers.
“There is a set of people who have no lawful place where they could consume this legal product. That’s a reality,” said Anchorage Assembly Chair Christopher Constant at the Assembly’s September meeting, where he was one of just three members to vote against tabling the ordinance. “We have a two-class society, but there’s nothing new about that … There is a class issue here to me, that’s the bottom line. I’ll always support the opportunity to equalize for people in our community to have a right to a place to be.”
Recognizing that problem, the Alaska Marijuana Control Board began licensing retail stores to allow on-site consumption in 2020, approving locations in Fairbanks, Ketchikan, Seward and in the Soldotna area. The state’s largest city, though, has been late to the party.
In 2020, Anchorage voters widely rejected a measure that would have opened the doors to smoking and vaping in cafes. That vote was frequently referenced by Anchorage assemblymembers who voted against the measure, even though its sponsor East Anchorage Assemblymember George Martinez argued that a lot has changed in five years.
“What I’m proposing here is regulated inhalation in line with state laws and best practices,” he said. “It seems like the next logical step.”
Still, even with the limitations in place for the foreseeable future, Stiassny said he believes that moving forward with on-site edibles consumption is good business. In an industry that is nearing its 10-year mark, he said it’s tough to stand out when there’s no cap on the number of marijuana businesses a community can have. He said the state’s outdated tax system, which taxes based on the wholesale weight of the plant rather than its final price or potency, has also made the industry more challenging.
“How are you distinct as a retail store? In this market where a lot of us have the same products, distinction matters. You can have the best quality service in the world, but it’s creating that attraction,” he said. “It’s about creating that attraction for our customers; the market’s changed … There are way too many stores.”
He pointed to Fairbanks, which has three on-site consumption stores, Pakalolo, Good Titrations and Good Cannabis (which are separate entities), as a good example of blending a fun experience with the option of consuming marijuana. He said they’re all primarily social spots first, noting that with Anchorage’s 10 milligram limit for on-site consumption that people won’t be getting super heavy doses of THC.
He added that an on-site consumption spot also means there’s one more alternative spot for people to hang out without alcohol.
“The whole premise of on-site is to provide a safe space to consume, right?” he said. “People want to socialize, and so that’s what these spaces are going to permit. I think cannabis is way safer than alcohol, so it’s like if so people want to come to Herb’s on a Friday night to listen to a comedian or just someone plan an instrument, it’s not like they’re running downtown to go to some bar.”
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Bluesky.
